About 5.5% of adult Americans – roughly 14.3 million people – serve as military or veteran caregivers, according to a recent RAND study. Most of these caregivers are family members: Wives caring for husbands, for example, or children caring for a parent.

The costs of providing such care stretch beyond time and emotional commitment; that same study found military and veteran caregivers pay more than $8,500 in annual out-of-pocket costs, on average, while passing up more than $4,500 in income to take care of loved ones. Caregivers also frequently do not take advantage of income-related support programs and have trouble finding emotional support programs.

[RELATED: Crucial Veterans’ Bill Clears House, But Senate Fate Is Unclear: Take Action NOW]

To raise awareness and recognize November as National Family Caregivers Month, MOAA recently held a successful webinar with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). Our WWP partners provided essential information regarding a myriad of available caregiver programs and topics, such as:

• Access to VA support programs.
• WWP resources linking caregivers with services that meet their needs, including financial and mental health support.
• Alumni programs designed to create support networks for wounded warriors and their families.

The full webinar is available to MOAA Premium and Life members at this link. Others interested in the webinar can go here to register and receive an email with a link to the recording.

[MORE MOAA RESOURCES: Webinar Archive]

MOAA also maintains Tips for Lifelong Caregiving, an online caregiver guide created in collaboration with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. The guide includes resources and information from across the support spectrum, including DoD, the VA, and the Social Security Administration. Topics include health care services, financial planning, legal information, and support for caregivers transitioning into the workplace.

Along with support services, MOAA’s work to help caregivers through meaningful legislative change remains a key advocacy priority. Recent work includes support for the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, an omnibus bill which addresses many caregiver concerns while making improvements to VA assisted living and home-based care benefits. Ask your lawmaker to support this legislation by sending a message through our Legislative Action Center.